


These Scars

by hybridempress



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Scars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-23
Updated: 2015-08-23
Packaged: 2018-04-16 20:39:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4639413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hybridempress/pseuds/hybridempress
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Ivan accidentally catches a glimpse of a rather nasty-looking scar along the back of Francis' neck, Francis begs Ivan to turn away and forget that he saw anything. When Ivan removes his scarf to show Francis the scars on his own neck, the two grow incredibly close because of the secrets they must now keep for one another.</p>
            </blockquote>





	These Scars

    Ivan sighed softly as he closed the door of his hotel room behind him and stood against it. He was relieved to finally have some peace and quiet, away from the noise of the city outside after such a long day of work. The lamps that were on the tables beside the two beds in the room were lit, basking the room in a dim light that gave it an almost romantic ambiance because of the moonlight that was streaming in through the rather large and open window on the left wall.   
  
    The beds that had been a mess earlier were made now. The artificially sweet yet somehow calming smell of a flower-scented air freshener filled the room. The room keeper must have been by earlier.  
  
    Looking around, Ivan didn't see any sign that his roommate had returned before him. The room was empty except for him, and all was quiet. The only noise came from the faded bustle of the city from outside. Francis must not have come back yet.   
  
    It was the end of the first day of the monthly World Meeting, a conference in which all of the country personifications of the world gathered together for two days to discuss the happenings of the world and what was to be done about the issues that arose from said happenings. This month, the meeting was being held in Italy, but because of a local festival that was lasting throughout the week in the city where everyone was supposed to be staying, the most convenient hotel was almost completely booked up. The only way everyone could get a room was by doubling up.  
  
    Originally, Francis had wanted to room with Matthew, but Matthew was already rooming with Alfred. His next three choices, Antonio, Gilbert, and Arthur, were also already rooming with other people. Likewise, Ivan's sisters were also already rooming together and Ivan didn't know who else to ask. When Francis heard about this, he had asked Ivan to room with him, to which the Russian personification jovially accepted.   
  
    Ivan didn't think anything of the fact that Francis wasn't back yet. After the meeting had ended for the day, everyone had gone to the festival together, but most of them had sort of split up upon their arrival. Ivan had become overwhelmed with the noise and the business of it all after a few hours, but Francis was probably still partying. Ivan knew that Francis didn't get overwhelmed easily.   
  
    It was around 9:00 PM when Ivan had gotten back to the hotel. Since he knew that he wouldn't be going anywhere or doing anything else that night, he decided to go ahead and get ready for bed. After that, he'd just sit on his bed and read until Francis got back. Well, assuming that the socialite Frenchman returned from the festivities at a decent hour.   
  
    Ivan walked over to the foot of his bed and opened his suitcase, which was resting on top of the wooden chest at the foot of his bed. He pulled his pajamas out of it, which consisted of black knee-length shorts and a green turtleneck sweater. He placed the folded pajamas under his left arm and held them there as he walked to the bathroom to get changed.  
  
    The bathroom light was on; Ivan could see it through the crack between the bottom of the door and the floor. He didn't think anything of it. The door was unlocked. Ivan opened it without hesitation. He didn't know that Francis had a habit of leaving the bathroom door unlocked.  
  
    When Ivan opened the door, he saw Francis standing in front of the mirror with his shirt off and his hair tied back and draped over his left shoulder. Both Francis' and Ivan's eyes widened when Ivan entered the bathroom, and Francis turned his head to the side to look at Ivan. Before Francis' neck had turned, Ivan had caught a glimpse of a rather deep and long gash across the back of Francis' neck.  
  
    Ivan backed out of the bathroom quickly, but didn't shut the door. " _F-Frantsiya,_  I-I'm so sorry, I was not knowing you were here... But what has happened to your neck!?" he asked worriedly.   
  
    "N-nothing, it's nothing, Ivan, I-I'm fine. P-please leave," Francis answered frantically, backing further away from Ivan.   
  
    Rather than leaving, as Francis had told him to, Ivan stepped further into the bathroom. Francis' reaction had not soothed Ivan at all. In fact, it had only made him even more worried about what had happened to his friend.   
  
    "I-Ivan, p-please, stop," Francis whimpered as Ivan grabbed him by the shoulder and forced him to turn around. Ivan's Eyes widened again once he had gotten a better look at the gash, which turned out to actually be a scar.  
  
    "Francis... What is this...? Who did this to you? When did this happen?" he questioned.  
  
    It had to have been recent. It had to have happened sometime today. It was a long, thick, smooth, deep scar running all across the back of his neck. It was so big and prominent, yet Ivan had never seen it before.   
  
    Francis fought against Ivan's grip until he was finally able to get away. He backed away until he tripped over the toilet and fell into a sitting position on top of the closed lid. He covered the scar with both of his hands and closed his eyes as he tried to shake his hair loose from the ponytail he had tied it into earlier.   
  
    "I-it doesn't matter h-how I got it, j-just don't look at it, please! Forget you ever saw it!" he begged.  
  
    "Francis, calm down, please... Your secret is safe with me, I will not be telling anyone..." Ivan assured.  
  
    "N-no, y-you don't understand! N-no one was supposed to see this, ever! I-it's so ugly...! It makes me so ugly! Th-that's why I cover it, wh-why I put the makeup on a-and wear high-collared shirts w-with my hair down...! S-so no one can see how ugly I am!" Francis shouted.   
  
    Ivan stared at Francis in silence for a moment before removing the pajamas from under his arm and setting them down on the bathroom counter. Slowly, tentatively, and somewhat hesitantly, he raised both of his hands to the scarf that was wrapped securely around his neck and tugged at it gently. In a matter of seconds, the scarf came unfurled and released his neck from its grip, falling into his hands gracefully. Deep, large, horrendous-looking scars and burn marks covered the entirety of Ivan's neck. He stared at Francis quietly once again.  
  
    "Do you think my scars make me ugly,  _Frantsiya...?_ " he whispered.  
  
    Francis opened his eyes and looked at Ivan. His mouth dropped open when he saw that Ivan's scarf was no longer around his neck, and that Ivan's neck was covered in far more scars than Francis' was. They were a lot bigger, deeper, and more jagged than Francis' was. They were scars that could never be hidden by makeup. Now, Francis knew the reason that Ivan always wore his scarf.  
  
    "N-no, O-of course not, Ivan! Y-you're beautiful, y-you always will be, scars or not!" Francis promised quickly, realizing that what he had said about himself had made him sound superficial, as if he thought that everyone who had scars was ugly. He hadn't intended that at all, and he certainly didn't want Ivan to think that.   
  
    "Then why do you not think the same of yourself...?" Ivan asked quietly.  
  
    "I-I... Ivan, y-you don't understand what my scar stands for, what it represents! I-I was such a horrible man, I-I did such horrible things! I-I was a monster! Th-that's why I have this scar, th-that's why it makes me ugly! Because deep down, I really always have been!" Francis answered.  
  
    Ivan's face softened and fell. He frowned even deeper than he had already been. That's what all this was about? Francis was so upset about that tiny scar because he thought of himself as a monster, because of what it represented?   
  
    No, Francis was the kindest and most loving man that Ivan knew. He was the farthest thing from a monster, the complete opposite of one. He couldn't let Francis keep thinking of himself as one.   
  
    "Francis... My scars have their stories, too. I'm sure that my stories are not being any less gruesome than yours, and I am also sure that your story is not being any more gruesome than mine. We were all monsters at one point. All of us. Every country has done something gruesome that they are regretting now. I know that you are wanting to forget what you have done, but you can't because of that scar. It is not a bad thing, though. It is serving to prove how far you have come. That you are not like how you used to be. You are beautiful, Francis. Scars and all. Please, my friend, do not ever be forgetting that," Ivan told him.   
  
    Upon hearing Ivan's words, Francis buried his face in his hands and finally started to cry. Ivan walked towards him and grabbed him gently by the arms, pulling him up from the toilet and embracing him in a tight hug. Francis quickly buried his face in Ivan's chest and cried into it. He wrapped his arms around Ivan and held tightly onto the fabric of the Russian's shirt. Ivan moved one of his hands into Francis' hair and played with it gently, knowing that it would help calm Francis down.   
  
    "I-I still... I-I don't want anyone else to see it... N-no one else can know, n-not yet..." Francis whispered once he had calmed down.   
  
    Ivan nodded, tightening his grip around Francis' waist before kissing the top of Francis' head and resting his chin on top of it. "Then you don't have to, Francis. I don't want to be showing my scars to anyone else, either. I won't be telling anyone. You will be the only one knowing about my scars, and I will be the only one knowing about yours," he whispered.  
  
    Francis nodded subtly. "Thank you, Ivan... Thank you so much..."  
  
    After that night, there was a closeness between the two of them that even the other nations could feel, though know one else knew what had happened to cause it. They were always together after that, at least, whenever they could be. They sat together at meetings, and they talked to each other all the time. Even when they were away from each other they contacted each other all the time. They were the best of friends.  
  
    They had found solace in each other. They found comfort in the fact that they were able to show such horrible figures to each other, and to eventually share their stories with one another. It was their secret, and it brought with it an intimacy that no one else would ever understand. The intimacy that came with being able to show a part of themselves to each other that they had never shown to anyone else, and knowing that they were safe and free within each other's company.

**Author's Note:**

> Heyyyy guys, just a little drabble I wrote up while I was babysitting the other day, based off of a post I made on tumblr not too long ago ( http://francis-bonnefoys-mum.tumblr.com/post/127286458923/im-rusfra-hell-right-now-so-its-time-to-share-a ). I'm in RusFra hell right now but since I'm not in the mood to start ANOTHER series fanfic, I decided to just write a little drabble for the ship instead, even if it's not really romantic. 
> 
> Francis' scar, if you hadn't guessed by now, represents the Reign of Terror, which my friend Mage and I have discussed quite in-depth and I hope to upload a fic based on that soon so that you guys have a bit of backstory as to why exactly this scar is so traumatic for Francis. And Ivan's scars... Well, Ivan's scars represent a lot of things. 
> 
> Anyways, I hope that you all enjoyed this fic, and thank you for reading!


End file.
